JBS Celebrates Dr. Seuss Day

Mar 7, 2012

On March 2nd, The June Buchanan School’s elementary teachers and their students celebrated Dr. Seuss Day. Students honored Dr. Seuss by reading some of his well-known classics and by participating in some fun “Super-Seuss” activities! These activities incorporated and promoted physical education, science, language arts, character, and cooperative learning.

Preschool instructor Darlene Slone, along with her assistant Heather Smith, observed Dr. Seuss Day all week. The students’ favorite activity was the Balancing Act. Students used large motor skills while learning about The Cat in the Hat. On Monday, students dressed as a silly character from one of Seuss’s books. Tuesday was Silly Sock Day, and the next day, students experienced Wacky Wednesday. On Thursday, Alice Lloyd College’s Student KEA-SP Program celebrated Read Across America by reading to preschool through 5th Grade students at The June Buchanan School. Darlene Slone said, “This is by far my favorite week of school. The preschool students read aloud Hop on Pop and Fox in Socks themselves! Students are so surprised that they can read the books aloud! I love hearing them say, ‘I can read! This is awesome!’ That’s when the love of reading is instilled.”

Kindergarten instructor Robin Cook led students through Seussercise! They began with stretches. Then, the kids danced to the Cha-Cha Slide and played a dance game. Everyone was in the spotlight! Afterwards, they played freeze dance. When the music stopped, the students froze in place, and Cook remarked, “The moves these students had were amazing! It was a lot of fun exercising (or Seussercising) with preschool through 5th Grade. We were out of our seat, but we stayed in the beat!”

First Grade instructor Sharon Gregory read The Cat in the Hat to the children. After that, students were divided into teams. Each team chose a “Cat” and the teammates were asked to balance a book and blocks on the Cat’s head while the Cat stood on one leg. The team who successfully completed the task first won. Groups would then choose a new Cat and play continued. Mrs. Gregory reflected on the day by saying, “I have had a blast. It’s great to be able to work with all of our elementary and preschool students. Our teachers worked together to make this day a success. I’m proud to be a Crusader!”

Second through 3rd Grade instructor Amy Hofsess and her students read The Lorax. The kids talked about what recycling is and what it means. Students listed ways to recycle and used paper bags in a demonstration. Then, they decorated their scientific artwork to take home to their parents in order to discuss with them the many ways they could recycle as a family.

In instructor Heather Hammonds’s 4th and 5th Grade classroom, students read Dr. Seuss’s ABC’s with kids from preschool, kindergarten, and 1st Grade. Students drew or wrote down everything they could think of that started with the letter B. Hammonds read Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? with students from 2nd through 5th Grade and discussed how lucky we truly are in our lives. Then, everyone reflected on their blessings by writing down/sharing a list of things they were thankful for. Hammonds said, “All classes made a Dr. Seuss hat to wear the rest of the day, and I think a quote we read today is worth sharing:

Just tell yourself, Duckie,

You’re really quite lucky!

Some people are much more…

Oh, ever so much more…

Oh, muchly much-much more

Unlucky than you!

— Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?”

JBS students had a blast on Dr. Seuss Day, and their teachers plan to continue instilling the love of reading throughout the rest of the school year!